Azets corporate finance team breaks 100 deal milestone
The UK Corporate Finance Team at international accountancy and business advisory group Azets has broken the 100 deals mark, recording 103 competed transactions in the first nine months of 2026.
Deal numbers are up 4% on the same period in 2025 – and the team have maintained their record of competing a deal every two days for the third year in a row.
The busiest UK regions were the North East & Yorkshire (25% of completed transactions), East Anglia and Wales (14% each), and sectors where the most deals were completed were Industrials, Business Services, Consumer & Retail, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) and Healthcare.
Nearly 2/3 (64%) of Azets’ completed transactions were sell-side mandates and 36% were buy-side, with private equity involved in 27% of deals, and 13% of transactions including a cross-border element.
Lee Humble, UK head of Corporate Finance at Azets, said: “Our team’s knowledge of their local markets and the local, national and global funding landscape, coupled with our sheer determination to deliver for our clients has resulted in us posting yet another year-on-year improvement – and we’re determined to keep going in the final months of 2026 and beyond.
“The market may be muted but there’s still demand for great businesses and we’re lucky enough to work with plenty of them – SMEs and OMBs across all sectors of the economy and all parts of the country.
“That combination of determination, specialism in and focus on OMB and SME deals and clients, and having the right people in the right places across the UK has is a reason why we’re recognised as the leading advisor in the small to mid-cap market.”
The results mark another milestone achievement for Azets’ UK Corporate Finance team. The team was named second most active advisor in the UK and most active advisor in the North East, Yorkshire & Humber, and Wales by Experian for Q1 2026, and Lee Humble and partner Mike Williams won North East Deal Maker of the Year and Emerging Dealmaker of the Year at the 2026 Insider North East Dealmakers Awards.
Lee Humble said: “Our recognition across the market reflects the efforts we go to deliver for our clients and the time and energy we have investing in building a team which has talent, ambition and local market knowledge and presence at its core.
“That approach continues to deliver and we’re determined to build on this success in the face of growing market demand for our support and advice as businesses look to scale, sell and expand in a challenging economic climate.”
For more information about Azets, visit www.azets.co.uk